Championing Early Years Education for Village Children

His dedication to providing a PAUD school for developing the village children had become part of the proof. Sriyono wanted to show that, even with all the limitations, he could still provide early childhood education.

KOMPAS/ADITYA PUTRA PERDANA

Sriyono

The persistent rejections of his applications to become a teacher failed to dampen the spirit of Sriyono, 37, to promote children’s intellectual growth. He has set up an Early Childhood Education (PAUD) institution at his hometown of Sendangmulyo village in Ngawen, Blora, Central Java.

Sriyono, an educator, found that no PAUD facility had been set up in his village, a situation that prompted him to open the Gembira Ria Play Group (KB Gembira Ria) in 2008. “Awareness must be cultivated among village residents on the importance of schooling for children at an early age,” Sriyono said on Sunday (12/9/2021).

Twelve years later, KB Gembira Ria has earned the people’s trust. This year it has a total of 48 students divided in three classes according to age, the largest number since the school’s founding. The children have four teachers, including Sriyono.

Also read:

> Millennial Teacher in Papuan Interior

> Eradicating Illiteracy in Jayapura

During the Covid-19 pandemic however, group activities were temporarily halted. Now, all learning activities have resumed and adhere to strict health protocols, with each class lasting only about an hour.

So far, KB Gembira Ria has not charged any fees. “Parents indeed [contribute] Rp 2,000 for daily snacks. But it’s all right if they want to prepare their own food for [their children]. We communicate all activities. There’s a parent-teacher WhatsApp group. We are like a big family,” said Sriyono.

We communicate all activities. There’s a parent-teacher WhatsApp group. We are like a big family.

KB Gembira Ria holds activities on the school grounds, which measures 154 square meters. Aside from classes with tables and chairs arranged in a circle, it also has a playground. It first started using the building and adjoining grounds in 2012, in line with the Indonesian Military Integrated Village Development (TMMD).

DOKUMENTASI KB GEMBIRA RIA

Learning activities at the Gembira Ria Playgroup, Sendangmulyo Village, Ngawen District, Blora Regency, Central Java, in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic. Sriyono founded PAUD in 2008.

For its operations, KB Gembira Ria has been receiving assistance from the Blora regency administration since 2009. The education database it compiled helped it to obtain the PAUD operational management aid (BOP).

Sriyono initially took on informal work to cover the school’s other needs, like the teachers’ wages, and to ensure that learning activities ran smoothly. But then in 2016, the village funds were made available. Teachers were paid monthly wages of Rp 75,000 in 2016, which was later doubled to Rp 150,000 per month. Their wages were standardized only in 2020 at Rp 400,000 per month.

No surrender

Sriyono, who has a physical disability, originally had no plans to set up a PAUD facility. After graduating with a level 2 associate degree (D2) from the Muhammadiyah Islamic Higher Learning Institute (STAIM) Blora in 2006, he applied to jobs at several schools but was not accepted. So he remained at STAIM Blora to continue his studies for a bachelor degree.

While pursuing further studies, he continued to apply to other schools in Blora for a job, from elementary to senior high school. But none of them accepted his application, because they had no teacher vacancies and his educational level did not meet the schools’ demand.

Amid his unfruitful attempts to find a job, Sriyono started researching and looking for more information about PAUD in 2008. His search also involved communicating with village administrations units, and it was then that Sriyono came up with the idea of founding a PAUD institution.

Also read:

> The Teacher in Uniform

> Teacher’s Devotion in Border Zone

Along with his wife Lina Sulistyowati, whom he married in 2009, he readied everything he needed to meet the requirements for setting up a PAUD institution. Raising his own capital, the couple procured school equipment. In its first three years of establishment, their PAUD school still used the facilities of Al Istiqomah Madrassa.

It was hard work recruiting students, which they accomplished by visiting individual families from door to door while trying to convince parents to send their children to the PAUD school. “We helped the residents gain understanding, so we finally admitted 21 students,” recalled Sriyono.

DOKUMENTASI KB GEMBIRA RIA

Learning activities at the Gembira Ria Playgroup, Sendangmulyo Village, Ngawen District, Blora Regency, Central Java, in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sriyono saw many ups and downs during the first two years, partly because of the lack of public support. After reaching a saturation point, Sriyono, as the school principal, discussed the matter with teachers, and they finally decided to create some buzz in 2011. They made the school activities more attractive by incorporating outdoor programs and participating in competitions.

With its more varied activities, the school frequently won a number of district and regency competitions. “The residents finally saw the PAUD students making achievements. They also better understood the importance of children attending a PAUD school,” said Sriyono.

His complete dedication to providing a PAUD school for developing the village children had become part of the proof. He wanted to show that, even with all the limitations, he could still provide early childhood education. On the other hand, his motivation was boosted after his repeated rejections in applying for teaching positions at various schools.

“My applications were rejected. Possibly, my disability was one of the reasons. Through the PAUD, I want to prove that I can work just as [well as] others. I am capable of contributing to society, too,” said Sriyono, who is also the secretary of the Blora Mustika Disabled People and the chairman of the Blora branch of the National Paralympic Committee of Indonesia (NPCI).

Also read:

> Teacher Who Tackles Obstacles

> Honoring the Life of Street Stars

His perseverance in founding and developing KB Gembira Ria received appreciation from the then-Education and Culture Ministry. In 2019, he received individual recognition with the PAUD Activist award in the disabled category.

Sriyono hopes that the central and regency governments will give greater attention to the welfare of PAUD teachers. He also continues to motivate the teachers at KB Gembira Ria, who started from zero. Today, two of the three teachers at the school have completed their bachelor degrees.

He said that it was also important to develop PAUD human resources.

“In the future, we want [early childhood education] to become even more attractive and innovative, adapting to the local wisdom. Anyway, the needs of rural and urban children are different. I have to be able to adjust so the residents feel comfortable about sending their children to the PAUD,” he added.

Sriyono believes that rural PAUD institutions should not be inferior to those in urban areas, and is striving to realize this as he continues to develop KB Gembira Ria.

Sriyono

Born: Blora, 9 May 1984

Wife: Lina Sulistyowati

Children: two

Education:

- Bachelor in Islamic Education, Muhammadiyah STAIM Blora (2009)

- Associate degree level 2 (D2) in Islamic Education, Muhammadiyah Higher Learning Institute (STAIM) Blora (2006)

- Muhammadiyah Senior High School, Blora (1999)

Organizations:

- Secretary, Blora Mustika Disabled People

- Chairman, National Paralympic Committee of Indonesia, Blora regency

Award:

- PAUD Activist, Disabled Category, Ministry of Education and Culture (2019)

This article was translated by Aris Prawira.